Ethical
Reflection
C
Government
is to promote general welfare of its people
C
A
society is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens
C
Only
government can provide equitable care
C
A moral
budget should reflect values of equality, opportunity and justice
Background
C
Budgets
passed by Senate and House
C
extend
tax cuts for the wealthy
C
cut
benefits/services for vulnerable populations
C
shift
costs of some programs to states
C
These
actions show we value
C
military
might and war spending over poor families and viable communities
C
tax
relief for wealthy over needs of poor families and economic despair of
communities
Impact of Budget
Proposals
Discretionary programs (those appropriated each
year): Bills give only overall level of cuts but not how individual programs as education,
workforce training, child care, WIC, LIHEAP (heating assistance) and Head Start fare.
Entitlement
programs: Resolutions
regarding programs such as Medicaid, Food Stamps, Foster Care, Earned Income
Tax Credit, SSI and TANF
include spending instructions to committees.
Medicaid
70% of Medicaid dollar spent on elderly and
disabled while children and low-income families use about 7%
C
Reimbursement
cuts to health providers mean reduced services and jobs lost in communities
C
Medicaid
costs growing slower than private insurance costs.
C
Medicaid
costs growing primarily because
C
more
low-wage working people have jobs that don=t offer health insurance
C
more
elderly living longer
C
passage
of Family Health Plus in 1999 made more people eligible
Supplemental
Security Income
Cuts in SSI will make it harder for those with
disabilities to afford basic necessities
Earned Income Tax
Credit
Elimination of EITC
means a raise in taxes for low income working families that receive a credit
when filing income tax.
Other Cuts With
High Impact on Children
C
cuts in
foster care jeopardizes abused and neglected children
C
cuts in
basic nutrition programs affect
C
children=s health and learning abilities
C
safety
net services in communities
Action Requested
C
Adopt a
budget providing basic needs of poor families for food, child care, housing,
education and jobs with a liveable income
C
Scale
back tax relief for the wealthy, close corporate loopholes, hold military and
war spending in check and maintain funding for
programs like CCDBG in Washington
(4/2005)